The True Meaning of Evil
by itsaPEZwitch
Summary: *CHAPTER 11 UP* - - An unstoppable force seeks the help of the good. A warrior has fallen and two have risen in her place. The truth about Crayak. The Truth about The One. And lots of drama and stuff inbetween :)
1. Prologue

Untitled

**The True Meaning of Evil  
Prologue**  


  
  


I was high above the Earth's atmosphere, I was scared, my god was I scared but I was the only one that could do it, and the only one that would. Jake trusted me, Jake knew I'd be alright…Ya, that's it, I'd be fine and tomorrow we'd all be back home with our families celebrating. I would be there, my mom, my dad, my sisters, and Jake's family including tom, Marco, Cassie, Ax, and Tobias. We'd all be there, just like the old times, just like the way it was supposed to be. 

Cool it Rachel. I said to myself. By this time tomorrow you'll be riding thermals with Birdboy again, just got to make it through today. No problem, it'll be easy. Yeah, everything will be fine. I thought silently to myself. I knew I was doomed, I knew I would never set foot on earth again. But I wouldn't stop hoping, stop trying to believe that I would see them again, that I would live to see the end of the war. 

And there I was, close to death. I was standing in the middle of the bridge in human form. I felt like crying. I had failed, I failed Jake and everyone else, they had counted on me but I didn't do it, I wasn't powerful enough, I failed. I looked at the screen and saw them there. I saw my best friend Cassie. Jake. Marco, funny Marco. Ax. 

Tobias. 

"I love you." I said to the screen. 

And oh, god, how could so much regret and so much sweetness and so much sadness all be present in that single moment. I was already dead and missing my unlived life. I was already dead and Tobias was mourning. 

I tried to smile. For him. 

The Polar Bear said. You fight well human. Then he killed me with a single blow. 

Time Stopped. 

He came to me. The Ellimist. 

The puppet master had come to my final act. It figured. He was in his saintly old man guise. As fake as everything else about him. The all-powerful weakling. The Mighty manipulator. 

"You." I said accusingly. 

"Yes." 

"Who are you?" I demanded. "Who are you to play games with us? You appear, you disappear, you use us, who are you, what are you?" 

And then, for what seemed like a very long time, the Ellimist told me. I saw, I understood. But I also knew he would not save me. That he couldn't under the arcane rules of the millennia long war with Crayak. 

The Ellimist was there to honor me, and I guess that was nice of him. Wasn't going to help me much. I wanted so much to live. I wanted so much to stay and not leave. No answer would matter to me, but just the same, I wanted to know what I guess any dying person wants to know. 

"Answer me this Ellimist: Did I...did I make a difference? My life and my...my death...was I worth it? Did my life really matter?" "Yes." He said. "You were brave. You were strong. You were good. You mattered." "Yeah, okay then. Okay then." 

I wondered if – I wondered if we would win the war. I wondered a million things in those last few seconds of life. I already felt my thoughts diminishing as I started to fade away, become a distant memory from a distant planet out in the middle of space. I felt myself fading but then…it stopped. It just stopped and I was left there, suspended in time, mostly dead, yet still alive. Alive without a body to live in, without a form to call my own, what happened? Why was I like this? I was supposed to be dead, I was supposed to have died on that blade ship, and maybe this was death? Was death a slow torture where I was left here wandering suspended in time only thinking of what could have been, how things could have happened? 

I felt a presence around me as I slowly was able to see…when I opened my eyes I saw so differently, I saw through space, I saw timelines fade, curl away, and then being reborn on a different planet, in a different time. I saw wars, nations, people, and species that I could never have dreamed of before. I saw all of this within a second and then it was gone, then I was standing in front of Crayak, in front of my worst enemy. 

Even though he was there, I still didn't acknowledge his presence. What I had seen…it stuck with me, I now saw the rise, and the downfall of every species there was. I saw Tobias taking my ashes, living in the meadow, isolated, alone. Oh how I wanted to reach out to him, tell him it was alright, to tell him that I believed in him and that he shouldn't suffer just because of me. But all of that was gone now, and in front of me was Crayak. "Leave me be." I said angrily, I wasn't in the mood to talk to Crayak, not like anyone ever was but I was especially pissed, I mean since I just died and everything. 

"If that is what you wish." His powerful voice silenced the memories I had just seen, as he stared at me with his evil smile. He was in the form of a human around 6 feet tall, black hair and blue eyes. Why did he appear to me as a human? He looked at me and grinned. "I could bring you back." He said quietly. 

"I already told you to bug off." I sounded sure of myself, confident, but I wasn't. I wanted so badly to be able to see Tobias again, I wanted to live and to love and to just be able to live out the rest of the life I knew I deserved. 

"Rachel, Rachel, Rachel…" He paced back and forth on the floor of stars underneath us. "If that is what you wish…" he said darkly. "It's yours." 

I felt wind suddenly rush around me, I blinked and when my eyes opened I was in a meadow. I had been here before…this was Yellowstone Park. I went here a couple of times with my dad when I was little, but it was more than that…it wasn't just the memory from my dad. 

I walked around for a while and reached a small cluster of trees where I saw campers, one of them was playing the flute. The melody was so soft, so beautiful, for a strange reason it reminded me of the harmony of flying. I looked at the sky then saw something…someone too familiar…it was a red-tailed hawk perched on a tree listening to the music. He eventually moved closer and stared at the two campers. This was no normal hawk, no way. I watched him and suddenly day turned to night then night once again turned today. 

Don't kid yourself Tobias. I heard him say as he once again watched the campers. They were in love, you could tell by the way they held each other and looked into each other's eyes. Your all you have, your alone. There's no one for you. Don't kid yourself. He spread his wings and took off as he started to fade away. 

I felt my thoughts diminish and my life slowly fade once again as the surroundings I had just been in disappeared. When they were gone I was left again suffering, the pain, the loneliness...I was dying. But then suddenly I felt a spark of light touch me, I knew that it wasn't Crayak…it was something else, something more powerful…suddenly I.... I saw through everything! I saw Tobias crying and Toby running into the bridge talking to them. I saw the Visser surrender and Tobias take my ashes. I saw Jake, alone, apart from the rest of the world sit, staring at my memorial. I saw Marco, laughing throwing parties, finally getting dates. I saw Cassie working for the white house, helping the Hork-bajir and meeting someone...his name was Ronnie. I saw Ax, or Prince Aximilli, as he was now called, on the ship, the blade ship where I was killed...he was examining a hair when everything exploded in a suddenly white flash and he was gone. Jake remained depressed but eventually got better, Marco still needed a reality check...and tobias.... tobias was living as a hawk, no one but Cassie and Toby ever heard from him, I wanted to reach out to him, to touch him. But all of this information was hitting me within a millisecond. I saw them name the ship, name it the Rachel. Yes I though happily. I would approve. I saw their journey through space, how Tobias was distant, Marco was unbelievably loud and then I saw The One, he had started off of me. He was a part of me. An evil that I thought no one could touch. When I died, he expanded, he took over everything he found, he was the rage that had built up inside of me. The hate, the anger, the intelligence, yet he was insane. Actually I shouldn't say he, I should mostly say it. Then, suddenly, as soon as Jake ordered to ram into the blade ship, it stopped, everything stopped and I found myself, in my human form, standing in a vast emptiness, pure white surrounded me. 

"Show yourself!" I demanded as I once again felt a presence around me, but this wasn't Crayak, or Ellimist. It was something else, something more powerful if it was possible, it was something not in the game, someone that didn't have to play by the rules… 

"I know that you're here. Show yourself to me at once." I sounded like a spoiled brat but I was scared, if this was something bigger than Toomin, bigger than Crayak, we were in trouble whether it was good or bad…there's always an opposite. If this was similar to the Ellimist then I knew that somewhere out there, somewhere out in space there was something even more powerful than Crayak, and possibly crazier. 

**_`You speak to me as though you aren't afraid.`_** the voice surrounded me, pressured me, sunk into my soul and yet did not affect me. **_`You are very brave; we have been watching you humans. You with your strange emotions, your feelings, your morals. Who are you humans?`_** the voice scattered and echoed as each word came to being. 

"I asked you first." I said daringly. "Who and what are you?" 

**_`You are worthy.`_** This time it was a different voice. This one sounded more feminine and gentle. A figure appeared in front of me, it was human. She was very tall and had bright red hair that fell down about two inches under her shoulders. Her eyes were a hazel green and had a certain glow to them. **_`You have not given into Crayak.` _**She smiled.**_ `Crayak, our brother had left us, he had abandoned his people and came here, he came here and you destroyed him. You greatly weakened our brother.` _**

"Your brother?" I asked as four figures appeared next to the woman, two on each side. 

  
  
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**A/N:** Yo! I hope you enjoyed the prologue to this really weird long twisted story about Crayak and Rachel! PLEASE R&R…unless of course your Marcus :P  
And Thank you Ali for helping me and telling me what stuff sucked and what didn't!!!!!!!!!! 

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	2. Welcome

Untitled

**The True Meaning of Evil  
Chapter 1  
  
**

**_`Oh, I am sorry human.`_** She said quickly as she walked up to me. **_`I did not properly introduce myself. You may call me Aquaris.`_**

"Alright." I said quietly. "Why did you bring me here? Ever hear of R.I.P? Rest in peace, as in don't disturb?" I replied smoothly as she began to walk around me, circling me like a vulture does to its prey. 

**_`We have a proposition for you.`_** She said in a powerful voice, dropping the gentle, humane voice that she had first spoken to me with. She stood in front of me and looked me in the eyes.**_ `Without brother Crayak we are weak. We are not able to hold down our own people, we no longer have the power to protect them…or punish them.` _**She spoke with wisdom in her voice, but I could feel a hint of arrogance along with it. **_`Brother Crayak's departure greatly saddened us…`_** She said while looking into my eyes, looking through me for every thought and memory that I possessed.**_ `We want you to help us get him back. You and your human friends have weakened him along with the help of the Ellimist but we can help you do so much more…`_** She stopped there purposely as I looked at her.

"What would be in it for me?" I asked, knowing the answer. **__**

`Life.` She said quietly.

I wanted to say no, I knew that there was something else going on, something deeper than them wanting to get their "brother" Crayak back. I want to say no, I wanted to rest in peace, but I wanted to live so much more. The image of Tobias flying off out of his meadow, thinking he was all-alone. That was why I chose to help, I would fight Crayak for Tobias. "Alright." I said. "What do I do?"

**_`It's not just you that we need.`_** She said as she walked back to where she had first appeared. **_`If you are to bring brother Crayak back to us, we need all of Ellimist's champions, all six of them.`_** I didn't understand what she was saying at first but then it slowly dawned on me. 

**_`Five humans, one Andalite, your timelines are sealed together for eternity , it shows that in every life you help Ellimist, you help the creature known as Toomin, you have been more than a thorn in Crayak's side. He is losing. And you are the only ones that can seal his fate and give him back to us.`_** It took a while for me to absorb all that information in, but when I did I was ready to talk details. 

"Alright." I said quietly. "I will help you under one condition. Don't let them know who I am." She looked at me, surprised. 

**_`Why not?`_** She obviously didn't understand humans, no matter how much she "studied" us, or watched over us. 

"You can read my thoughts, why not just tell me?" I was beyond afraid, this was someone, something that was connected to Crayak, no way in hell I was going to bow down and just accept her rules and pretend like I didn't know she was reading my mind. **__**

`They won't let you fight.` She finally said after a minute of silence. 

"They won't let me complete the mission. Then you would have just lost it yourself." I said with my head down. I would be back, I wouldn't let Tobias live the life that I saw, no way I would let the only man, boy, bird that I ever loved live a life alone, apart, distant. This was going to be my pay back, I would get Tobias back and I would punish the creature that caused this all to happen. But before I would ever get Tobias I would win this battle, I would win the war and the creature known, as Crayak would wish that it had never been created. 

`Then it's done.` The next thing I knew I was face down in a pile of dirt in a meadow. 

"Ya, that's nice if you're all powerful and everything so you could have at least gave me a comfortable landing!" I screamed as I struggled to get up. 

"Yo, weren't we just on The Rachel crashing to our slow painful death?" I knew that voice…I knew that familiar annoying, yet witty voice. I ran up to the top of the hill on the meadow and below me, I saw them. All five of them, Jake, Marco, Cassie, Ax, and Tobias in human form, I couldn't help but smile. 

Cassie struggled to get up as I saw Jake looking at her, smiling. "Cassie?" He asked quietly as she wiped dirt off of her shirt and looked at him. It was the perfect moment.

"C'mon, go to her, tell her how much you missed her." I whispered as I saw Tobias get up and look around, the familiar squint in his eyes. I prayed that they wouldn't see me yet, I wanted Jake to tell Cassie, I probably knew how much he missed her more than he did! 

I saw Jake getting ready to run up to her, Cassie doing the same when… "Hey, is someone up there?" Marco asked as I began to descend down the hill. Jake and Cassie followed Marco, Tobias and Ax over towards me. "Perfect timing Marco…" I said sarcastically.

  
  
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**A/N:** HI everyone!!!! Hope here and i'd just like to thank the little ppl...ya, that's gonna be my speace for my pultzer prize :) I'd like to thank Ali for putting up with my whining about how it sucks and for telling my my grammar stinkks and i don't know how to use "your" you're" and "their" and "they're" properly :) 

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	3. Remember

**The True Meaning of Evil  
Chapter 2: Remember**

  
  


"Full emergency power to the engines." Jake said. "Ram the blade ship."

Mendorash quickly followed Jake's orders and hit a few buttons on the control panel and the next thing I knew, we were locked in a collision course with the blade ship. "Now they're definitely going to have to cancel my show." Marco said under a gulp, tears were in his eyes. He was scared, so was I, everyone was but this was what I had signed up for the second I didn't fly away, I sealed my fate when I asked Jake, "What about ax?" Looking back on it now, I still knew I had made the right decision, I still believed that I was supposed to be here, Ax was my shorm, I wasn't going to abandon him now, not after everything we had gone through in our past.

But as we approached the blade ship, as death's grasp came closer and closer to us, all I could think about was her. All I could think about was her blue eyes, her smooth skin, and her golden blonde hair. I felt selfish…I had been ready to accept death since that day on the pool ship. I had spent the past four years playing the scene over and over in my had, only thinking "what if?" What if I had found out before we entered the pool ship, what if I had gone with her? I couldn't help but think that I deserved to die more than she did. But none of that mattered now as the blade ship charged its dracon beams and sped up toward us.

I looked at Jake, tears swelled up in his eyes as he stared at the view screen. "Goodbye Cassie…" He moved his lips without making a sound, but I saw, I saw that he to had accepted death, had been waiting for it to relieve him of the misery that all of us had gone through ever since we walked through the abandoned construction site that day that seemed like a million years ago. 

Jake had to carry more burden than any of us; he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders as I had often heard Marco saying. He still carried the death of the auxiliary Animorphs, of Rachel, of Tom. He had gone through hell and back and had probably been re-experiencing it everyday like I did, I still remember the way she looked at me, the way our eyes met as told me she loved me.

I looked out the view screen. I'll see everyone on the other side. I said quietly. I saw the blade ship hit our ship but everything went into slow motion. I saw Mendorash be knocked over, and fall back and fall limp behind his chair. I saw Santorelli and Jeanne get thrown back against the back wall and fall. With all of this going on, Marco, Jake and I seemed untouchable when a sudden white light surpassed everything and completely covered our surroundings. 

Next thing I knew, I was face down in the dirt…with a human face.


	4. Hawk

**The True Meaning of Evil  
Chapter 3: Hawk**  
  


I struggled to get up with my weak human arms. "Yo, weren't we just on The Rachel crashing to our slow painful death?" I turned around, squinting. And there, behind me was Jake, Marco, Cassie and Ax. "Ax!" I yelled as I ran up to him and tried to give him a hug, or as close as a hug between an Andalite and a human could be.

Tobias…what happened? Ax asked quickly although he had already begun to suspect that something, someone had brought us here. 

"I don't know. What happened to you? How'd you get here? We thought you were dead." Ax looked at me and smiled with his eyes.

No, but I was on the brink of it. His eyes darkened as he looked at me with all four. There's something about The One, something that I believe you of all people here should know… He was interrupted by Marco…

"Hey, is someone up there?" I followed Marco's gaze and saw the outline of a human on top of the hill that ended this beautiful valley. 

The figure slowly made its way down. `Six champions…` a voice whispered inside of my head. `One Andalite…` I looked at the figure and saw the emerging figure of a girl, she looked around 20 years old. I guess that's how old I was now, I didn't really keep track since Rachel died. Toby or Cassie would come to my meadow with a cake or a big Mac, or something but that ended after a year or two.

The figure came closer and I swear my heart skipped a beat. She was beautiful, her hair was a beautiful shade of golden blonde and she walked with a sort of swagger, something so familiar. She looked at me as she stepped down the hill, I couldn't breathe, `five humans…` It was Rachel… I started walking towards her but then a light covered my eyes, making me look the other direction. When I looked back at her I realized that it was just an illusion, just a simple trick of a lonely heart.

"Now who do we have here?" Marco asked as he bowed. We were lost, for all we knew we were dead and he was trying to flirt with the first girl he saw…I guess he hadn't changed much since the war. It's funny, just to think of those three years as "the war." Just another period in our lives, just another year followed by two more. 

The girl looked at him, uncertain then passed her eyes over all of us, stopping at me. She looked like an angel, even though I knew it couldn't be Rachel, there was something so familiar about her eyes that I just couldn't place. "Hello? Who are you?" Marco said slowly like he was talking to a child. She looked at him again and seemed surprised. "Yes, I'm talking to you." He said, getting impatient.

"Oh…I'm ra…uh I mean Gabrielle." She finally said with a sigh.

"I'm Marco…" 

"Do you know where we are?" Jake cut him off, Marco looked at Jake like he was going to say something but then let it pass.

"It's where we need to be." She replied swiftly. "Congratulations ladies and gentlemen you have been "chosen" to participate in a lovely array of events leading up to the death of Crayak the birth of a new civilization yadayada, I'm Gabrielle, I will be your host for the time being so follow me and don't get in my way." She looked at us with hope in her eyes like she was going to say something but then shoved past us and started walking back up the hill.

"How do you know that's where we're supposed to be going?" Marco asked. She turned around and realized that no one was following her so she walked back over to us and sat on the ground.

"Do I really have to tell the whole story?" Marco nodded and everyone but Ax sat down as I tried to morph. "It won't work." She said looking at me. "You're not a nothlit but they don't want us to be able to change form, they say it's "cheating" of some sort." 

"Whose they? And why do they want us here?" I asked. For some reason I had so much built up energy just starting to flow out of me. All of the anger, the rage, the pain that I had gone through since she died, it was all coming out. This was the first time that I was human since it happened and it was showing.

She was avoiding me, avoiding my eyes. "Aquaris and her people, they want Crayak and they want us to do it."

"And you are?" Marco asked, still trying to get a full name out of her.

"Unavailable." Marco winced but didn't give up. "I know why they'd want us, but who are you, why are you here with us?" He asked as she stood up and looked at him.

"I asked them the same thing, I didn't want to be here but I am here so don't ask about it and you won't get hurt." She walked over to a rock and sat on it, her back to the rest of us.

"I'm Jake Berenson." Jake said as he walked up to her and held out his hand. "We weren't properly introduced before and I think that before you go on some crazy, suicidal mission with someone, you should know who they are." 

"My name's Gabrielle and that's a good theory," she walked away ignoring his hand. "We'll set camp here for the night then we'll be on our way in the morning.

"On our way where?" Cassie asked, she and Ax had remained especially quiet since this girl showed up, I guess I was being quiet too but I didn't know how to react to her.

She looked at Cassie and smiled. "Towards Crayak." She said quietly.

"That's insane." Marco commented as he laid down looking at the stars.

"Yeah, I can't wait." I heard her laugh as I took a spot away from everyone else. 

"Are you sure I don't know you?" Marco laughed. "You sound like someone I knew once… 

Crayak, I thought. Crayak was the creature that caused all of my pain. Crayak was the one that got Rachel killed; he would pay with his eternal life.


	5. Anomaly

**The True Meaning of Evil  
Chapter 4: The Anomaly**  
  


I knew that I had said goodbye to Jake forever. Those thoughts lingered within my mind for the next six months as I pretended everything was fine. As I tried to stay normal and not break down in sobs every moment I thought of them.

Toby had ended up telling Jake where Tobias was, Tobias deserved to be there, deserved to try to save his shorm but long ago I had made a promise to someone. A promise that I intended to keep… 

"Cassie." I turned around and saw Rachel running up to me from the limited, so I slowed down and smiled as she walked up to me. 

"How many credit cards did you max out today?" I teased. She had 3 bags hanging in various points on each arm. 

We walked over to the food court and sat down at an empty table. Good old, safe food court. The same place where we had often come when we were kids still fighting in the yeerk war. 

"Only two." She replied swiftly as she put all of her bags down. Something here wasn't right…but I couldn't place it. Something was here that I wasn't used to, something that had been gone for a long time. 

I looked at Rachel fidgeting in her seat, twisting her engagement ring around her finger while frowning for some unknown reason. I looked at the ring, it was beautiful, and Tobias had good taste for a guy. The ring was silver with a small diamond shaped as a heart placed in the center of the ring. 

I looked around the food court and couldn't get the feeling that something was wrong. I gazed down at the spot on the table in front of me and I saw my driver's license. "What's this doing out?" I asked myself as I picked it up and looked at it. "Name: Cassie Berenson…" My heart stopped as I looked at Rachel in front of my license and then me again. 

"Promise me you'll protect him Cassie…" Rachel whispered as everything began to fade and I was once again in my living room talking to Ronnie Chambers. Her words stayed in my head as Ronnie stopped talking and looked at me.

"Are you okay Cassie?"

"No…" I replied quietly, talking to myself more than Ronnie. That dream, that was the same dream that I had been having since Jake left. But over the past week it had progressed so that I would blank out while in the middle of doing something and the next thing I knew I was in the mall with Rachel again. Why was this happening to me?

"Do you want something to drink?" I ignored Ronnie as I looked out the sliding doors. 

"Full emergency power to the engines." Jake said. "Ram the blade ship."

`Anomaly…` Another voice entered my head as I saw Jake, Marco, and Tobias plummet towards their deaths "Goodbye Cassie…" Jake mouthed as the image disappeared and I was left wondering.

`Join us Anomaly.` the voice continued to haunt me as Ronnie reached out to tap me in the shoulder. 

"Cass?" Ronnie asked, he was worried, I could tell by the tone in his voice as I looked at him. Ronnie, sweet, safe Ronnie I thought as I looked at him, then back at the window where the image of Jake was still bright in my mind.

"Jake…" I whispered.

"Cass, are you sure your okay?" Jake made Ronnie nervous, whenever I said his name I could smell the fear that Ronnie would become over come with.

"They need me…" I whispered to myself as everything started to twist and turn white. The next thing I knew, I was lying on a field, and had my face down in the dirt.

"Yo, weren't we just on The Rachel crashing to our slow painful death?" Marco groaned. I quickly got up and looked around, I was in a vast meadow with luscious green grass and beautiful flowers that some people would have given their right arm for. But what amazed me more than the landscape were Marco, Tobias, Ax, and Jake. Jake was still getting up; he looked around and whispered something to himself. His eyes swept over me but a second later, his head snapped back and he looked at me amazed.

"Hi…" I said quietly. How long had I secretly been dreaming of this? How long had I hoped that we were to see each other again?

I wanted to run to him, have him wrap his arms around me and hug me, kiss me, be mine once again. How much did I want to be with him…

"Hey, is there someone up there?" Marco asked as he shielded his eyes from the sun and looked at the hill in front of us. Emerging from the hill was the outline of a human body, as it came closer I recognized her. She stumbled over the rocks and holes in the ground until she finally made it down. Her golden blonde hair swept over her body and freely flowed with the wind as she looked at everyone, uncertain at first. "Hello Rachel." I thought happily. 

`One Andalite, five humans, those are our champions. We have chosen the Animorphs.` The voice repeated in my mind as she made her way towards us.


	6. Game

Untitled

**The True Meaning of Evil  
Chapter ?: The Game**

I cursed under my breath as I climbed down the hill. I saw them all looking at me, wondering, watching, and waiting. A look of remembrance crossed their faces as I made my final approach down the hill. I walked up to them, Marco was closest. He looked at me as though he was about to say something but then stopped himself as a sudden blank expression overtook his face. 

The others slowly made their way towards me. I looked at them and had to stop myself from crying. My eyes swept over each of them and then stopped at Tobias.... 

"Rachel Berenson." The voice said as I got up and walked toward the edge of the stage. I made my way around, looking at all of my friends. Marco bowing at me, funny Marco. Cassie smiling and Jake. Everyone, all of my friends were there. My eyes swept around the back of the auditorium. I saw a boy, he looked familiar but I didn't think anything of it... 

I immediately looked back at that boy, the one with the wavy blonde hair and the crystal blue eyes. He squinted as he looked at me, he looked like he needed glasses but that wasn't it. Those eyes were so familiar, so intense. "Hi Rachel." He waved at me as tears swelled in my eyes. "Tobias..." I was suddenly back in the valley with the others. I took my eyes off of Tobias as Marco walked up to me. 

"Now whom do we have here?" Marco asked as he bowed. Marco...typical Marco. 

I looked at him, uncertain then passed my eyes over the rst of the Animorphs, stopping at Tobias. He had gotten older, and squinted more than I remembered. "Hello? Who are you?" Marco said slowly like he was talking to a child. I looked at him again and was surprised. "Yes, I'm talking to you." He said, getting impatient. 

" Oh...I'm...ra...uh...I mean Gabrielle." I finally said with a sigh. I had never imagined how much I would want to talk to them, how much I would want them remember... 

"I'm Marco" 

"Do you know where we are?" Jake cut him off, Marco looked at Jake like he was going to say something but then let it pass. 

"It's where we need to be." I replied swiftly, getting out of a trance. I couldn't feel bad for myself now, not after all we had been through. I had to survive so I could once again live as Rachel Berenson...or perhaps even as Rachel Fangor? "Congratulations ladies and gentlemen you have been chosen to participate in a lovely array of events leading up to the death of Crayak the birth of a new civilization yadayada, I'm Gabrielle, I will be your host for the time being so follow me and don't get in my way." I looked at them, still hoping against hope that they would somehow remember. 

I looked at Cassie and saw her smile. `The Anomaly will know.` I looked at everyone else, wondering, waiting but it was obvious that they knew nothing. 

I started walking back up the hill when Marco ran up and tried to stop me. 

"How do you know that's where were supposed to be going?" Marco asked as I turned around and realized that no one was following me so I walked back over to us and sat on the ground. 

"Do I really have to tell the whole story?" Marco nodded so I walked back down and found a nice big stone to sit on. "You can sit down, I'm not going to bite." I had forgotten that I needed to regain their trust. 

"Once upon a time there was a small little universe off in the middle of nowhere. That was the universe that Crayak escaped from and now the people want him back." Marco raised his hand like a child would in class. 

"Yes..." I asked, irate he had interrupted me. 

"What does this have to do with us? Well I can imagine what it would partially have to do with us, but have no idea about why you would be here." He smiled, thinking he had caught on to the game. 

"They chose six champions..." I said quietly.

`Yes, we chose five humans and one Andalite.` Aquaris appeared beside me, glowing with energy. 

She looked at me with a smile on her fake face, it was probably a fake smile also… `Hello.` The others looked at her, wondering what was happening. `My name is Aquaris, I am the head of a peaceful people, a people from a galaxy far, far away.` I could see Marco trying to hide his laughter as he covered his mouth. `A long time ago something happened, brother Crayak left me and now I want him back, he had trapped his true self within a series of memories, memories of his own and of those that he has captured, destroyed, and loved.` Silence covered the valley as she stood there, floating.

"Alright." Jake finally said. "I understand you want Crayak back for some reason that we'll regret later but I need to know two things first." He said, starting to stand up as he spoke. "The first thing is why did you pick us out of everyone else in the galaxy? And the second is, what's in it for us if we get you Crayak?" I looked at Jake and noticed a change. Over the last 4 years that I was gone, he had changed dramatically, I now noticed that his face was almost emotionless as he spoke. I was so sorry that I had done this to him, in a way I felt that it was my entire fault even though I knew that war had changed all of us, most of the changes weren't good…

`I play a game with brother Crayak…`

"Wonderful!" Marco snorted. "Another game…"

`I play a game with brother Crayak, a game where I am the only known player.` She continued, totally ignoring Marco. `I have chosen the six best warriors possible, I have chosen those who have affected and destroyed so much of brother Crayak that he is now weak enough to be killed with the blow of a human first to his gut if he was met by someone in his true form.` Her eyes swept over all of us, trying to avoid mine. I knew more than she was saying…I knew that she was still hiding something from us, something that she didn't want us to know until it suited her. 

`If you help me, when you help me.` She corrected herself. `You will receive the thing you have secretly and not so secretly wished for, for the past three earth years.` She looked at Tobias as she said that, she had an evil glint in her eyes…

**Rachel…** Toomin froze time and took me out, took me to his domain and appeared to me as a ketran. I looked at him, wanting to speak, wanting to tell him about Crayak, about his true past but I knew he had been watching, that he already knew of Aquaris's presence. **If I keep you longer than I have to, they will know. So I will make this as short as possible.** He looked at me with pitiful Ketran eyes, already knowing what I was thinking, my self-pity, and my determination. **Aquaris is 5 times as horrible as Crayak ever could be, once she gets Crayak, she will cause chaos all over this galaxy. You see, unlike Crayak Aquaris is a being that lives off of death, you could say that "she" is suicidal, wishes to no longer be but as long as Crayak lives, Aquaris will be, Aquaris will continue to exist but when she is merged with Crayak, she will destroy everything that I have tried to protect with the game. Everything that you know will be gone. She will use Tobias to get what she wants, she will use every ounce of self pity, depression, sadness, everything that she can find inside of him, she will intensify it, she will turn him into her slave.** Tears swelled up in my eyes as I looked at the Ellimist, saw the future I knew that was to come. **Be prepared, help him, and help them. **Ellimist's words echoed through my mind as he restarted time…

"Protect him…protect the son of Elfangor." I repeated as I found myself once again standing next to Aquaris who was still telling her story.

`I chose the Animorphs as my champions, they are the key to defeating Crayak.` She smiled at tobias who looked at her with a pained expression on his face.

"All of the Animorphs?" He questioned her, walking closer and closer to her. "You chose all of the Animorphs?" He again asked. "I don't see Rachel here! If you want the Animorphs bring Rachel here!" He screamed as Aquaris changed form. The others couldn't see this, Ellimist was showing me, giving me some of his power, his strength, and the ability to see through time. I saw Aquaris taunt Tobias in my form, talk to him, persuade him.

"The Ellimist once said that you were a new beginning, the beginning of a new time entirely." She had stolen my voice, my hair, and my body. Even though I still possessed all of those features, they didn't see it. Something clouded their minds, I had asked for that and Aquaris had known I would. She knew that I would ask for her to make them not remember me, I was once again just a puppet within the game.

"Aquaris…" She looked at me with my eyes, with my skin. She looked at me and turned five shades whiter as Tobias gazed towards me, still a zombie under the witch's spell. "Aquaris, how dare you bend the rules of the game." I smiled, I felt like laughing, like jumping up and down like a child and screaming "I win I got you!!" but I was smarter than that…I wasn't Marco. "We had a deal."

She regained control, with a single glance you could see the intensity of her insanity. It showed in her eyes, or perhaps that was how they had always looked. Perhaps those were my eyes, the eyes of an insane warrior, a child caught up in the luxury and appeal of battle. Either way, I wasn't that person, those were not my eyes anymore. I was Rachel Berenson, I wasn't a crazed warrior out to kill herself in battle. I wasn't this lunatic, I might have been once, long ago. But not anymore, now I could finally say that and not have a voice in the back of my head nagging me. I had won my battle, now it was time to win this one. "Yes human." She smiled. "We did have a deal, we had a deal that you wouldn't be known to them, that the humans wouldn't know of your true, disgusting form. That was our deal, nothing else." I felt like I had been slapped. Tobias looked at me, rage in his eyes. 

"Stay away from Rachel…" He said quietly as time once again restarted.

`You will depart for Crayak's domain in the morning, Hope will be your guide.` She said pointing to me. 

"I thought she said her name was…" Jake started to say.

`Her name is Hope and she will be your guide.` Aquaris once again stated, fading away into the darkness.

"Strike One." I said to myself.

"Who else thought that that was just a little weird?" Marco asked, laying down on the grass, putting his hands underneath his head and staring at the stars. 

The stars are different here. Ax said, mystified at the alignment of the stars. 

"We must be far away from home, wherever that is." Tobias said, he was oblivious to the position that he was in. Brainwashed and yet had no idea of what had just happened. What was it I had seen? Tobias had looked so angry, so different I felt as though I didn't know him. Had I looked that way to him? Had I looked like the monster I thought myself to be? I was Rachel the monster, Rachel the warrior without a soul that would be what I was called. Jake the yeerk killer, Rachel the warrior without a soul, Rachel the monster…Those thoughts echoed through my mind as I tried to get to sleep under that beautiful alien sky. 

  
  
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A/N: So what'd you think? I need to come up with more but I'm gonna be working on a couple of other stories for a while (The forgotten timeline, and In Life, IN Death, For eternity.) R & R!!!!!!!! 

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	7. Leader

Untitled

**The True Meaning of Evil  
Chapter ?: Leader**  
  


"Full emergency power to the engines." I said, my heart ached as I spat the words out of my mouth. But it was the only thing we could do, and I knew that it was the right thing. "Ram the blade ship." By the way, my name's Jake, Jake Berenson. You might have heard of me, according to Marco I'm "bigger than sliced bread." I was the first human to ever hold negotiations with an alien nation, I out smarted them, and I won the war. But in the process I lost two very big parts of my life. I had ordered my cousin to kill my brother, she succeeded but in the end, she died in vain. I killed my cousin, I signed her death warrant when I pulled her aside in the Hork-bajir valley that day…she had died, she hadn't been able to live her life the way she deserved and it was all my fault…

Mendorash hit the control panel furiously with his new human hands and the next thing I knew we were on our way to our deaths. I hated to admit it but I had been ready for this for such a long time. I had killed my brother, my cousin and 17,000 helpless, sentient creatures. I was Jake the Yeerk Killer. That was what The One had called me, perhaps it was right, and maybe I was Jake the yeerk killer, murderer to yeerks, Alloran's equal. It was war, I had to do what I felt was right and in the end it cost me something to dear to me, it cost me most of my humanity.

After that moment I spent the next three years moping around my parent's house…my parents were freed after the andalites had evacuated all yeerk ships…I didn't have to tell them what happened, they already knew, and I was the reason why they only had one living son. They knew this and yet to my amazement, accepted me back into their lives, and acted like this had never happened. Of course there was the anniversary of Tom and Rachel's death…

I spent more time at the memorial than I had at home. I would go in there after hours, the guy at the gate would let me in, he felt bad for me, he pitied me and I could see it in his eyes. I would sit there staring at the memorial, and at the sunset. I couldn't even bring myself to talk to her; I couldn't bring myself to do anything but sit there. 

I didn't bring my life together until after Visser One's trial. Marco, Cassie and Ax showed me that there was something to do besides just sitting around feeling sorry for myself. I listened to them and I took that teaching job for the government.

All I could think about was Cassie as I stood there, waiting for death to welcome me into its arms so I could once again be with Rachel, and be with Tom. I didn't hear Tobias, Marco, Jeanne, Santorelli, or Mendorash as I stared at the view screen, at "The One" as it called itself. It looked at me and smiled. It changed form within a second and I saw my cousin Rachel standing there, looking as beautiful as ever. But I knew better than to fall for those tricks, I knew that it wasn't Rachel, there was no way in hell that that monster was any part of Rachel.

"Rachel the barbarian…" A voice echoed through my head, but I was already too far-gone to acknowledge it. "Jake the yeerk killer, welcome home." I saw The One's lips snicker as I looked out into the hollow pit of space. "Goodbye Cassie." I mouthed as white overtook the hull of the Rachel and everything vanished. "Goodbye…"

I woke up with my face in the dirt. I heard Marco complain about how we were supposed to die or something but I ignored him. I normally wouldn't but as I looked in front of me…I had thought that I had died and gone straight to heaven although I thought to myself that I deserved to die and live an eternity in hell for everything I had done…

I looked in front of me and saw an angel. She was even more beautiful than I remembered her. She looked the same as she always had…besides the fact that she didn't have her usual overalls on that were usually covered with some sort of poop. But even then, when she would be at her worst she was still beautiful to me. She would always be Cassie.

"Hi…" She whispered. I was just about to run to her. I was just about to run up to her and to tell her how much I missed her, and how much I had wished that she had come with me. I was just about to tell her everything, and ask her to never leave me, to stay with me forever, to marry me.

"Hey, is someone up there?" Marco said while gazing up at a hill that covered the valley and a good portion of the sun. I regretfully turned to look at the hill. There was a figure emerging from the top of it. I couldn't make out who it is yet, if I knew them but it was definitely a human, or it was at least in the form of one. 

She stumbled down the steep slope as Cassie walked up next to me and slid her hand into mine. "Whatever this is, where ever we are…" She whispered softly. "We'll face it together…" Her words echoed through my mind as I saw the girl come further down the hill and closer and closer to us.

**- - - !Attention Readers! - - - **

I'm just trying to inform you that you will be getting really sick of these Attention Reader things and that I'm not going to repeat the meeting scene AGAIN, so if you got complaints…er….euh…yea keep them to yea self!

- - - - - - - - - 

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	8. Marco the Mighty

Untitled

**The True Meaning of Evil  
Chapter ?: Marco the Mighty  
**

RACHEL:

"Sleeping beauty your prince has arrived." I opened my eyes and found Marco's face only a foot away from my head.

"Where? I don't see him." Marco reached out a hand to help me up. "Thanks" I mumbled under my breath as I grabbed his hand and got up.

I looked around as I started wiping the dirt off of my clothes. Aquaris sent me here wearing some semi fashionable sweats. They were the kind that made a swish noise when you walked…not too our advantage if we had to sneak past anything. I was also wearing a midnight blue tank top that matched the sweats, not something I would normally wear but I could live with it.

I saw that everyone else was still rubbing their eyes and stretching. All but Tobias who looked like he was still trying to morph hawk, and it wasn't working. "It won't work." I said as I finally gained the courage to walk up to him. Normally this would be no problem, but after I had seen him when Aquaris was trying to take control of him…it was too much. 

He turned around and looked at me as though he blamed me for doing this to him. "Then how are we supposed to kill Crayak?" He asked with a new uncertainty in his voice.

"You heard Aquaris, as long as we get past his traps and memories all we have to do is hit him in the gut." Tobias looked at the sky as though he was angry at it. There was a new rage that I noticed was trapped within him. This was something I feared, I knew this kind of rage very well…this was the rage that had imprisoned me during the war. Ever since I had to stay there with David, ever since I had to watch him become a nothlit and hear his screams and pleas. That was what changed me, and that was what was happening to Tobias now. That same rage was now imprisoning him. 

I turned around and headed back to where everyone else was. I knew that Tobias was following me because I heard his uneasy feet pound against the wet earth. "Okay, everyone has to make sure that they've had a drink of water and some of those berries before we leave because I'm not sure how much longer we'll have to go without food or water. We can try to carry them with us but speaking for myself, I have no pockets so…"

"I have my backpack with me." Cassie stated as she held it out. How did she always manage to help us in every possible way without knowing that we would even need help? "I was going to go hiking, it has two water bottles in it and an ice pack." Everyone just stared at Cassie, not sure what to say. "Did you know we were coming here?" Marco finally asked laughing. "Why does this remind me of the days back in Cassie's barn." I started thinking about it and almost smiled, ALMOST. But then I remembered that I wasn't supposed to remember because I was never there. "Yea…. you can all reminisce about this or we could save the universe." I said sarcastically. "It's your choice."

"Is there a third option?" Everyone ignored Marco as we started gathering water, food and anything else we thought we might need. 

MARCO:

I had spent the past few years as a happy man. Seriously, I was so god damned happy and yet I agreed to this! I put my life in jeopardy again and once again was trapped with Jake and Tobias with a slim, very slim mind you possibility to save the Ax-man who was now some huge Andalite Prince. Not that I have anything against them, Jake's my best friend and well the bird boy…for a while we had something in common. 

But here I was crashing to my death on the Rachel when I black out and suddenly find my self with my face in the dirt. Where was St. Peter? Where was the big guy? I got up and looked around, nope not heaven. It was a nice place, some sort of valley but I was pretty sure this wasn't where I would be confessing my sins and impure thoughts…Deje vu man…. 

* * * FLASH BACK * * *

Ax Screamed.

I said as I scurried closer.

* * * FLASHBACK-OVER* * * 

Those were the good times, and it was too bad that they were over. Not that I was pissed that the yeerks were gone, no I was quite happy about that but the way it was like to go flying, all 6 of us in the beginning, and to do it just for kicks. Before the war started putting weight on everyone's shoulders. I never thought I'd say…err…think this but those years were probably the highlight of my life. Just don't tell Jake I said it. **

- - - !Attention Readers! - - - I know you read that first scene where they meet each other like 1,000 times so I am sparing you the pain of having to watch me make errors and change things in it. Instead you will be able, for your viewing pleasure to experience the sick thought cycle of Marco a little longer. C'mon! You all know you love him! Lemme Hear ya! Marco! Marco! Chant with me! Er…*glares at reader* your going on the list. And I mean THE Marco from the books…yea, you heard me team omega...uh or at least 1/3 of team omega. Well anyway, would you like to hear me babble on and on more or get back to the story? I'm shocked! You'd rather see me talk like this than hear my story, well okay. My name's Hope, I'm ALMOST 14…. had yea all fooled did I J my birthday is the 9th of august. School started Septembe…*gets food thrown at* FINE! I'll go back to the story, Sheesh! You people better make up your mind :p - - - - - - - - - 

**

Whoa, I just heard a voice in my head…where was I? Ah, yes. The good times, the times where we'd go out on a suicidal mission like this every month. I wonder whatever happened to Ellimist. No one's seen him for such a long time. My theory is that he got sick of the whole 'helping the small people' bit and got a condo in Miami. Jake laughed at that, but I don't know why I was serious. Well actually I wasn't but it's funny right? Ladies love the funny. So what if I'm as tall as an oompa loompa, my witty remarks and intelligence makes up for it! 

"Is there a third option?" I asked expecting to hear at least one small snicker or concealed laugh but nothing, who were these people and where were my fans? Then I realized I was once again on a suicidal mission where there was only a very small chance I would live to see tomorrow. Oh yeah, that's why no one laughed. Where was Xena when you needed her for a nice come back?

"Yea, the third option is that you can be blasted into total oblivion by Crayak when he finds out we're here." That was too freaky…Hope walked past me and acted like it was nothing. "Oh, so I guess your taking the third option then? Good thinking, you'll be a good decoy." She laughed as she turned her head back in front of her. Where was this woman all of my life? She was smart, funny, witty, and beautiful. But I didn't trust her, everyone else might think that I would throw myself all over her, and I did but I didn't trust her, she seemed too familiar like I knew her from somewhere.

Marco, I must speak to you about something. Ax looked at me nervously with his main eyes and swept the area with his stalk eyes. There wasn't really anything that he could miss with those things.

"Sure Ax-man, shoot." This was the first conversation I had had with the guy for years, but somehow I didn't think that it was some catching up or heart to heart on our past girlfriends and crap. No, with Ax it was usually something that was A: Serious and could get you killed or B: about some form of junk food. I was leaning towards option A at this moment. 

It's about The One. Yep, I was right. Option A. 

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	9. Confused

**The True Meaning of Evil  
Chapter ???: Confused  
By: Hope**

**TOBIAS:**

"Why do we have to meet like this?" I whispered as a smile formed from her perfect lips.

"They wouldn't understand why I'm here Tobias. They wouldn't want you to come join me." She pulled her face up to mine and once again smiled. There was something about her smile that seemed evil, insane but I paid no attention to it. In my mind all I knew was that now she was here and soon, soon Rachel and I would be back together.

"But I could make them understand, Jake would love to see you and it would really help him. Maybe even Hope." The smile faded from her face and her gaze turned cold as she reached her hand out to me to touch my face.

"Hope….don't trust her Tobias." Her hands were cold and lifeless. "Don't trust anyone but me. Not even Ax and especially not Hope, don't listen to her Tobias." My vision darkened and Rachel's voice seemed to become distant and another voice covered it.

"Tobias, time to wake up. Hope said that we have to get ready to go." I shoved Jake aside and stood up, scanning the area with my pathetically weak human eyes. Jake looked at me and took a step back, turning to walk over to Marco and Ax.

I dragged behind the rest of them for the next few days, only conversing when necessary. Tobias. Ax walked up to me with his andalite eyes scanning all surroundings, making sure that no one was watching us. But someone was, and I couldn't wait to see her again. Every night she would now visit me while I slept and she would tell me all the things that I had needed to hear for the past 4 years. That it wasn't my fault, and most importantly that she would come back. That My Rachel would come back to me. 

**AXIMILLI:**

Not even the most gifted Andalite writers could put into words what I had experienced. I was taken in by a being called The One, my ship destroyed, all except for one lone fighter whom was sent to them, sent to my friends. It was all in this being's plans; he would send Mendorash to the Animorphs and have them come to find me. It was all predetermined by this one being that seemed to know so much about us, too much if I had a say in it. As an Andalite I am sworn into recording my last thoughts in my hirac delest and I did that in what I thought was my last minutes of life, when I screamed out the name of my prince and prayed to the gods that they would spare me or that I would soon meet Elfangor and run with him through the fields of our Ancestors.

The One is a very complex being. It seems to feed off of the carbo… Marco just stared at me as though none of this was even penetrating his head.

"And in English Mr. Spock?" Marco tried to ease the tension and the bad news he felt coming by parodying off of some Star Trek show which was coincidentally a very accurate and informing show. I had enjoyed watching the many seasons of it while I was stranded on earth during the war.

The One becomes whatever it touches, it gains the memories, the form everything of the creature that it touches. But when it learns about you, you learn about it. I paused not knowing if Marco was the person that I should be telling this too. In the past he had been a great help in reading between the lines and seeing what others couldn't and that was what I had originally relied on when I came up to him. It started out as a human, or part of a human at least. When…this human died it left something behind, as thought it's will to stay alive almost surpassed the laws of physics and of life in general. "Ax, cut the crap and get to the point." Marco stumbled over a stone as he spoke.

The One is what's left of the will of a very strong minded person. Even though it managed to survive for all these years and somehow become this powerful, it relies on others to survive. The One's motives are to reach Tobias in any way it can. The One is the part of Rachel that would do anything to survive and now it's after us to get to Tobias. Marco looked at me as though he didn't believe it. His gaze focused on Tobias who was trudging along about 10 feet in front of us, still looking like he was trying to morph back to his origonal form.

"So your saying that this thing…this new monster that we're up against is Rachel? That it has her memories, her desires, but it's basically mean Rachel with no sanity whatsoever?"

Yes, Marco. And that is why I came to you. Marco might have been one of those people that would crack jokes at every opportunity and seem as though he could never grasp onto the seriousness of a subject…he was the most serious person there and I fear the only one that I could trust. He was also the one that had the least emotional attachment to Rachel. 

**RACHEL:**

We hiked through the different landscapes for what seemed like weeks at a time, getting brief visits by Aquaris every few days and a new supply of food. Tobias grew more and more distant until he stopped talking to us all together, and hardly even acknowledged Ax. "It's getting worse!" I complained to the Ellimist. He was the one being that I was able to confide in for the past few weeks. "Tobias hardly even acknowledges us anymore, it's like he's off in his own world now." The Ellimist looked at me with his wise, gentle eyes. "He is being brainwashed by that of Aquaris, he only sees now what she wants him to see."

"Who are you talking too?" The image of the Ellimist disappeared and was replaced by cassie. 

"Oh, myself." I said quietly. "What are you doing up, you all need your rest. We're going to be going for a long hike tomorrow, I don't know if we'll be able to take a break."

Cassie circled around me, studying my movements and my words with the presicion of a psychiatrist. "Why don't you tell him Rachel…" Cassie said quietly, looking at Tobias who was off too the side of everyone else, laying down on the cool earth. 

"I'm not Rachel…" I whispered, wanting to believe myself. From what I remembered Rachel….I was a madwoman, consumed by the heat of battle (ah! Now I'm sounding like Xena) and the hunger for blood. I don't know why Cassie even tried to bother with me, I don't even know how she knew I was me…


	10. Whole

**The True Meaning of Evil  
Chapter 10: The Whole  
By: Hope**  
  


I could feel them running through the weeds and bushes, trying desperately to catch up to me. But I didn't let that stop me, I would escape from this mad house if it was the last thing that I ever did. These creatures had no idea of the power around them, all they cared about was their precious people so I broke off. I broke off a piece of the most intricate puzzles ever created. 

I was probably stupid for it but i wouldn't let that stop me, my thoughts would betray me and i couldn't risk that. "CRAYAK." One of them screams, still chasing me with the power of a Nirask ( a large four legged animal on the home planet of crayak.)

I ignore their calls and continue to run, not knowing where I'm heading or how i would escape but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that I would be 'my own person' and then I would have the power all for myself, no longer would I have to put up with those ignorant fools. These ignorant fools who did not know how to use their own power.

Either by luck or the pure reason that they did not feel like chasing me anymore, I escaped. I had escaped from the prison that had held me for the past 2 billion years and I found my way into a new universe, a new dimension even. And there I found that I could become more powerful than they had ever imagined. In fact, there was no one, nothing that could top my power. Nothing that could top the mighty Crayak.

Until it showed up...The creature that called itself Ellimist had finally caughten up to me, and I finally had an opponent worth playing. 

(Due to the reason that I no longer feel like writing in the first person, the rest pf this chapter and probably story will be written in the form of the third person)

He had known that they were coming, perhaps even before they had. He was able to feel a new yet old power emerge into his dimension, slowly coming closer to him, trying to sneak up on him and crush him. But Crayak did nothing to prepare himself for them, for the whole. 

In truth, the being had grown arrogant, thinking much of himself and his old abilities...and his new toy. 

"They have crossed the barrier of Gareematon, master." The cold voice broke the silence of darkness that had been swelling and growing ever greater since the great Crayak had found out of the prescence of the whole. "Very well." He replied in the voice of a human. 

"Shall I let them proceed?" The voice rose again, but this time it was accompanied by the appearence of a tall, slender woman. Her crystal blue eyes shone in the darkness, full of evil and malice. Her blonde hair was let down perfectly straight, coming to just below her shoulders. On her neck hung a silver locket that was unopenable and she wore what would most likely be called a modern-day knight's suit of armor. 

She wore a light gray colored blouse...which although it did not look like it, was made out of mythril and the finest metals in the galaxy. She had long black leggings on, with metal boots (still fashionable! - - i'll try to draw or have a friend draw up what i mean her outfit looks like) fitted over them. She had no need for a case of a sword or a weapon of any kind though. She was a weapon. She was the mirror image of a Rachel Berenson. 

She called herself 'The One,' having a large desire to be or act like an origonal. The only one of her out there. This desire came from the knowledge that she was in fact not her own person or even a person at all. It came from the fact that she was just a copy of a warrior that Crayak was not able to have. Forever Crayak had been programming her, poisoning her into having no sign of a consciounce (i know i need spell check) or soul at all. And while doing that, he was able to create, what he thought of at least, the perfect warrior...even though he would have preferred the real one, the true Rachel. Human anger was not something to take lightly, no matter how weak the human race was and that was why he had wanted her. Her anger and rage had been something that he had not seen in any creatures other than those of his home planet, but even they would be too arrogant of their powers to think, to be cautious. 

That was why Crayak felt no need to prepare for the whole. He had his prized warrior, and through her power, he had become arrogant. 

"Watch them. Watch them carefully." Crayak answered, his only thought focused on the status of their group. "Report everything back to me." He said, now looking up at her. "Everything." 

"As you wish." She said, bowing and fading out of sight at the same moment. And although Crayak believed her mind was on the mission, it was only on the members of the group that had once made up the Animorphs, specifically Rachel Berenson. 

  
  
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A/N: Well you asked for more...thats not really a long or fulfilling chapter but i'm working on the next one...i actually know what the ending may be too!! :) (YOU"LL ALL HATE ME, trust me :D) 


	11. Memories

**A/n: Ah! Its been so long since I've updated the story, really sorry about that! Promise that it won't be that long anymore!!!(Sry about all of the misprint shit before! Damn Wordpad!)**  


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**The True Meaning of Evil  
Chapter 11: Memories  
By: Hope**  
  


It had been two weeks since the humans that had once called themselves Animorphs had set out on their journey. Within those two weeks, it seemed that they all began to become even more distant from eachother and their surroundings then they had been when they had arrived here.

Jake, who had once been the unnamed leader of thise group had once again taken control, giving out the orders of when and where they would rest, not listening to the advice of their guide, Hope.

Cassie found that she might have made the wrong desicion in coming here again and as soon as she thought this she cursed at herself, fearing that the doubt of ever finding Crayak would eat her up until she was empty of almost all emotion. It was true that she had found out that this girl was Rachel, or the Rachel that she had at one point in time known but she still found that she wasn't able to talk to her as she was once able to, not knowing what she would be able to talk about with her. It wasn't exactly like she could walk up to her going "So, what was it like being dead and all?"...she had seen that on Buffy the previous week (Cassie found that she was able to relate to the show after the war had ended, one girl, chosen to fight the vampires or demons. She was forced to go through so many things in her life and yet she wasn't even able to have a happy ending, which was something that Cassie could relate too, no one had left the war without being affected greatly.)

Marco had continued to be the comedian of the group, finding times to ease the tension of the situation (they had found that there were other beings there, alien monsters of sorts that they were able to avoid by a very strange streak of either good timing or luck.) but even he had begun to lose his sense of humor as hope of ever reaching their destination began to dwindle. Along with these new found fears of never being able to return home, Marco also carried the burden of knowing the true nature of The One and that when and if they were forced to face it, no one would be able to kill her. No one would be able to kill the face of the Animorph that they had lost at the end of the war.

Aximilli found himself becoming more distant from Tobias, who had once been his shorm but now seemed to attempt to keep from conversing with him or any other of the group at all. Although it had been many years since his last battle with the Animorphs, and although he now had grown to the rank of Andalite War-Prince, he was still ready and willing to accept any orders from Jake Berenson, his former leader and prince during the yeerk war.

Tobias. In his own mind he grew stronger and stronger every day, now able to fight the 'temptation' to speak to the other Animorphs or even interact with them at all. He was now just along for the ride, waiting for his next visit from his 'Rachel'. Although he was growing strong within his own mind, he was clearly beginning to weaken to the point where the circles that had formed under his eyes never disapeared and the color of his skin had lightened about five shades. 

Through all of this, Rachel had been able to remain anonymous to every Animorph besides Cassie. (How Cassie had found out was still a mystery to Rachel.) And although Cassie had been her best friend, Rachel found herself calling upon the Ellimist more often to report the things that had happened, or discuss what she thought was happening with Tobias. It pained her to see him like that but every time that she had tried to reach out to him, he would lash out at her with an insult or just ignore her completely and go about his business of making himself and everyone around him miserable. He wasn't the Tobias that she had fallen in love with. She wasn't sure if he was Tobias at all.

"Where are we now?" Jake asked as he slowly came to a hault, looking around his new surroundings. 

Over the past few weeks, everytime that they had walked a certain distance, their surroundings would change, the climate, the sky, everything. It had been a bit scary and unpredictable at first, causing Marco to attempt to jump into Jake's arms and Cassie yelp in fear, but now everyone had gotten used to it.

It took a few minutes for everyone to realize where they were. They were surprised that they hadn't noticed it at first...

It was night, the stars were shining in the sky and five stupid teenagers walked into an abandoned construction site.... "So I'm guessing this would be the part where we see his memories?" Marco asked. (Who else?)


End file.
